Visitors from Doha

May 27, 2010

Visitors from Doha come to U of C

For the second time since its inauguration in 2007, the University of Calgary-Qatar's (UC-Q) Joint Oversight Board met in Calgary this week to discuss the governance and activities of the U of C's nursing faculty in Doha.

"The board provides direction and guidance on program implementation and expansion, student enrolment, fiscal targets and management," says Alan Harrison, U of C's provost and vice president (academic) and a member of the board. "At this meeting, in addition to housekeeping details such as budget, scholarships and sponsorships for our students, we discussed the September launch of an academic foundation program that will provide support for the language and science skills our students need to transition into nursing."

An exciting outcome of UC-Q's growth is the first convocation of a cohort of post diploma Bachelor of Nursing students at the end of June. "Qatar's commitment to higher education, research and the improvement of health care is impressive and we are delighted to have worked together with them to educate this first group of baccalaureate nurses," adds Harrison.

In addition to other administrative and student representatives from the Calgary campus, Mohamed Fathy A. Saoud, President of the Qatar Foundation, and Latifa Al-Houty, Chair of the College of Nursing Project, attended the meeting. Two student observers from UC-Q, Khadra Yassin and Muna Bob-Ume, made their first trip to Calgary. Yassin joins her peers as a member of the first graduating class of UC-Q. As well, this meeting was the first for new dean and CEO for UC-Q, Carolyn Byrne, who will take up her post on July 1.

Interviewed in April, Byrne noted the supportive atmosphere between Calgary and UC-Q. "I was very impressed with that because I've seen other international programs that get forgotten by the home university―not so in Calgary."

The Joint Oversight Board meets twice yearly; this week's gathering marks the fifth for the group.